Piet

Nice idea with the planking Denis. Staring at the center seems to draw me into a hole - - - lucky for me that spread-eagled myself
 
Cheers,

Nice work JesseLee.  I would imagine they tied a rope to the doors to pull them up and let the top ones down.  Too long a reach over board and besides these doors must weigh enough to make it awkward otherwise.
 
Cheers,

Beginning to look like a boiler. Nice looking front.
 
Cheers,

Right off Nills, I really like the gun tackle jig you set up. This is a clever way of not having to rig the guns on the ship. Makes everything the same and the result is a neat rigging job and it simplifies the job.
Love the pics with all the guns rigged in different configurations.
 
Cheers,

Stunning!! A lovely jewel.
Is it your birthday Patrick? Well, in that case let me also wish you a happy birthday with many more to come.
 
Cheers,

Nice progress Jan.
 
Cheers,

Nicely done Kevin. I would think that nonskid is applied in areas of most expected traffic, so it looks like you may have nailed it.  The only nonskid I ever painted was on aircraft wings
Hhhmmmmm, snow eh, that's a dirty 4 letter word here in Florida, today was only 82 F or 28 C. This meant yard work for Pieter.
 
Cheers,

Very well done JesseLee, she looks marvelous.
 
Cheers,

Hi JesseLee, another good thing about using brass for the pins is that they wont break when you start belying your lines to them. I'll do the same for my Surabaya model.
 
Cheers,

Mighty fine work JesseLee. Yup, there's nothing like scratch building your own parts.
 
Cheers,

Hello all and thanks to those who visited and clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 58, which brings us to March 16, 2018.
This day I cemented all ten 15 cm guns to the model as I perceived them to be positioned.
I also cemented the 4 paravanes to the locations as shown on several photos.
Today's work didn't take much time so I also started to assemble the two propeller guards.
 
I have attached a bunch of pictures of this day's progress.
 

The number 10 gun that holds special interest to me. More about that in a future post. Yep, also some paint tough-ups.
 

A close-up of the number 10 gun. The light overhead puts a lot of shimmering on the uneven glue spots.
 
 

 
The Dutch National flag made from a decal. I may remake it from thin paper. The Bofors gun in the left back will be repaired. Accidentally hit it when handling the model.
 

All four paravanes cemented to the deck.
 

An actual photograph of a paravane. I painted mine in light grey.
 

Another actual photograph of the crew handling a paravane.
 

This is a photo Kevin Denlay took, showing the tail fins of a paravane, on one of his dives on the wreck. He stated that tihs one was on the sea floor amidships.
 

Overhead shot of the model howing all 10 guns cemented to "Java."
 

Another overhead shot.

The two parts for the propeller guards being cemented together.

The completed propeller guards ready for dressing. This job was like shoving two wet noodles together.
 
Cheers,
 

Hello all and thanks to those who visited and clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 58, which brings us to March 16, 2018.
This day I cemented all ten 15 cm guns to the model as I perceived them to be positioned.
I also cemented the 4 paravanes to the locations as shown on several photos.
Today's work didn't take much time so I also started to assemble the two propeller guards.
 
I have attached a bunch of pictures of this day's progress.
 

The number 10 gun that holds special interest to me. More about that in a future post. Yep, also some paint tough-ups.
 

A close-up of the number 10 gun. The light overhead puts a lot of shimmering on the uneven glue spots.
 
 

 
The Dutch National flag made from a decal. I may remake it from thin paper. The Bofors gun in the left back will be repaired. Accidentally hit it when handling the model.
 

All four paravanes cemented to the deck.
 

An actual photograph of a paravane. I painted mine in light grey.
 

Another actual photograph of the crew handling a paravane.
 

This is a photo Kevin Denlay took, showing the tail fins of a paravane, on one of his dives on the wreck. He stated that tihs one was on the sea floor amidships.
 

Overhead shot of the model howing all 10 guns cemented to "Java."
 

Another overhead shot.

The two parts for the propeller guards being cemented together.

The completed propeller guards ready for dressing. This job was like shoving two wet noodles together.
 
Cheers,
 

Hello all and thanks to those who visited and clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 58, which brings us to March 16, 2018.
This day I cemented all ten 15 cm guns to the model as I perceived them to be positioned.
I also cemented the 4 paravanes to the locations as shown on several photos.
Today's work didn't take much time so I also started to assemble the two propeller guards.
 
I have attached a bunch of pictures of this day's progress.
 

The number 10 gun that holds special interest to me. More about that in a future post. Yep, also some paint tough-ups.
 

A close-up of the number 10 gun. The light overhead puts a lot of shimmering on the uneven glue spots.
 
 

 
The Dutch National flag made from a decal. I may remake it from thin paper. The Bofors gun in the left back will be repaired. Accidentally hit it when handling the model.
 

All four paravanes cemented to the deck.
 

An actual photograph of a paravane. I painted mine in light grey.
 

Another actual photograph of the crew handling a paravane.
 

This is a photo Kevin Denlay took, showing the tail fins of a paravane, on one of his dives on the wreck. He stated that tihs one was on the sea floor amidships.
 

Overhead shot of the model howing all 10 guns cemented to "Java."
 

Another overhead shot.

The two parts for the propeller guards being cemented together.

The completed propeller guards ready for dressing. This job was like shoving two wet noodles together.
 
Cheers,
 

Thank you Lawrence for visiting and your kind words. Also my thanks to all who clicked the like button,
 
This post is for days 54, 55 56 and 57, which brings us to March 12.
All these days involve mainly the installation of all the deck railings with some associated items.
Day 54 on March 6 I planned on cementing the stern deck railing but needed to think about it a little first. You see, the PE parts are made to fit between the aft main deck gun platform and the depth charge launching ramps at the fantail. Here then is my dilemma, None of my photos of "Java" show these ramps, nor the flagpole at the fantail. I already looked for a longer PE railing I can use to close the fantail. But then I thought, why not cement the railing meant for it and add a simulated cable type addition as I have seen on a few photos. These railings are foldable anyway so my thinking makes sense. 
I need to do some more thinking on it.
 
That brought my attention to the bow railing but before I can install any railing i needed to install the refueling rig on the main deck. It would otherwise make it too difficult to do. I needed to drill a small hole in the deck for the supplied brass rod where the PY support rigging is to be attached to. In reality this is quite a complicated rig but at this scale Boris did a real nice job simulating it. A shame that it kinda gets lost due it's small size.
 
Day 55 on March 9, I started to cement the forward railing. I started at the bow first with a small dab of cement and let it harden, then slowly bending the railing following the curve of the bow and tack cemented it as I went along to the end of that railing. Next I followed through with the thin CA along the bottom of the railing. I used the same method for all the railings, which proved to be working real fine for me. At least I had no damage to the railing. 
I also cemented the small flagpole against the forward side of the AA gun deck rangefinder house.
Now the flag. Boris supplied two small decals with the kit but can't use them as a flag - - - or can I?  So okay I tried and soaked the decal in some water and slid it off the paper, folded it around the flagpole and bingo I had the flag. Problem is that it's just too delicate and I can't make the flag wave in the breeze. So I gently brushed some thin CA on it, let it harden a little and then made a few folds in it. As long as nobody touches it it'll be fine.
 
Days 56 and 57 were occupied with cemented the rest of the railings to the ship. The # 9 gun deck was a little difficult due to the ladders going up. I had to improvise with some spare longer pieces because of the gaps for the ladders but in the end it worked out just fine. Next was painting them following the camouflage scheme on the hull.
I'm rather pleased with the railings. Below are a few pics of the railing project. The next installment will show more on how they look.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,
 

Hello all and thanks to those who visited and clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 58, which brings us to March 16, 2018.
This day I cemented all ten 15 cm guns to the model as I perceived them to be positioned.
I also cemented the 4 paravanes to the locations as shown on several photos.
Today's work didn't take much time so I also started to assemble the two propeller guards.
 
I have attached a bunch of pictures of this day's progress.
 

The number 10 gun that holds special interest to me. More about that in a future post. Yep, also some paint tough-ups.
 

A close-up of the number 10 gun. The light overhead puts a lot of shimmering on the uneven glue spots.
 
 

 
The Dutch National flag made from a decal. I may remake it from thin paper. The Bofors gun in the left back will be repaired. Accidentally hit it when handling the model.
 

All four paravanes cemented to the deck.
 

An actual photograph of a paravane. I painted mine in light grey.
 

Another actual photograph of the crew handling a paravane.
 

This is a photo Kevin Denlay took, showing the tail fins of a paravane, on one of his dives on the wreck. He stated that tihs one was on the sea floor amidships.
 

Overhead shot of the model howing all 10 guns cemented to "Java."
 

Another overhead shot.

The two parts for the propeller guards being cemented together.

The completed propeller guards ready for dressing. This job was like shoving two wet noodles together.
 
Cheers,
 

Nice idea with the planking Denis. Staring at the center seems to draw me into a hole - - - lucky for me that spread-eagled myself
 
Cheers,

Hello all and thanks to those who visited and clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 58, which brings us to March 16, 2018.
This day I cemented all ten 15 cm guns to the model as I perceived them to be positioned.
I also cemented the 4 paravanes to the locations as shown on several photos.
Today's work didn't take much time so I also started to assemble the two propeller guards.
 
I have attached a bunch of pictures of this day's progress.
 

The number 10 gun that holds special interest to me. More about that in a future post. Yep, also some paint tough-ups.
 

A close-up of the number 10 gun. The light overhead puts a lot of shimmering on the uneven glue spots.
 
 

 
The Dutch National flag made from a decal. I may remake it from thin paper. The Bofors gun in the left back will be repaired. Accidentally hit it when handling the model.
 

All four paravanes cemented to the deck.
 

An actual photograph of a paravane. I painted mine in light grey.
 

Another actual photograph of the crew handling a paravane.
 

This is a photo Kevin Denlay took, showing the tail fins of a paravane, on one of his dives on the wreck. He stated that tihs one was on the sea floor amidships.
 

Overhead shot of the model howing all 10 guns cemented to "Java."
 

Another overhead shot.

The two parts for the propeller guards being cemented together.

The completed propeller guards ready for dressing. This job was like shoving two wet noodles together.
 
Cheers,
 

Thank you Lawrence for visiting and your kind words. Also my thanks to all who clicked the like button,
 
This post is for days 54, 55 56 and 57, which brings us to March 12.
All these days involve mainly the installation of all the deck railings with some associated items.
Day 54 on March 6 I planned on cementing the stern deck railing but needed to think about it a little first. You see, the PE parts are made to fit between the aft main deck gun platform and the depth charge launching ramps at the fantail. Here then is my dilemma, None of my photos of "Java" show these ramps, nor the flagpole at the fantail. I already looked for a longer PE railing I can use to close the fantail. But then I thought, why not cement the railing meant for it and add a simulated cable type addition as I have seen on a few photos. These railings are foldable anyway so my thinking makes sense. 
I need to do some more thinking on it.
 
That brought my attention to the bow railing but before I can install any railing i needed to install the refueling rig on the main deck. It would otherwise make it too difficult to do. I needed to drill a small hole in the deck for the supplied brass rod where the PY support rigging is to be attached to. In reality this is quite a complicated rig but at this scale Boris did a real nice job simulating it. A shame that it kinda gets lost due it's small size.
 
Day 55 on March 9, I started to cement the forward railing. I started at the bow first with a small dab of cement and let it harden, then slowly bending the railing following the curve of the bow and tack cemented it as I went along to the end of that railing. Next I followed through with the thin CA along the bottom of the railing. I used the same method for all the railings, which proved to be working real fine for me. At least I had no damage to the railing. 
I also cemented the small flagpole against the forward side of the AA gun deck rangefinder house.
Now the flag. Boris supplied two small decals with the kit but can't use them as a flag - - - or can I?  So okay I tried and soaked the decal in some water and slid it off the paper, folded it around the flagpole and bingo I had the flag. Problem is that it's just too delicate and I can't make the flag wave in the breeze. So I gently brushed some thin CA on it, let it harden a little and then made a few folds in it. As long as nobody touches it it'll be fine.
 
Days 56 and 57 were occupied with cemented the rest of the railings to the ship. The # 9 gun deck was a little difficult due to the ladders going up. I had to improvise with some spare longer pieces because of the gaps for the ladders but in the end it worked out just fine. Next was painting them following the camouflage scheme on the hull.
I'm rather pleased with the railings. Below are a few pics of the railing project. The next installment will show more on how they look.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,
 

Thank you Denis and Nils for your visit and comments. Also to those who clicked the like button, thanks.
 
Yes Nils, this scale has been a challenge, mainly due to the very delicate PE. I'm not afraid working at a small scale but this PE stuff is difficult.
 
Here is another photo of "Java" taken from the Australian cruiser "Hobart." This was most likely in Lampung Bay on February 14, 1942, one day before the action in the Gaspar Straits. (From the collection of J.A.Dorlas).

Cheers,

Hello all and thanks to those who visited and clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 58, which brings us to March 16, 2018.
This day I cemented all ten 15 cm guns to the model as I perceived them to be positioned.
I also cemented the 4 paravanes to the locations as shown on several photos.
Today's work didn't take much time so I also started to assemble the two propeller guards.
 
I have attached a bunch of pictures of this day's progress.
 

The number 10 gun that holds special interest to me. More about that in a future post. Yep, also some paint tough-ups.
 

A close-up of the number 10 gun. The light overhead puts a lot of shimmering on the uneven glue spots.
 
 

 
The Dutch National flag made from a decal. I may remake it from thin paper. The Bofors gun in the left back will be repaired. Accidentally hit it when handling the model.
 

All four paravanes cemented to the deck.
 

An actual photograph of a paravane. I painted mine in light grey.
 

Another actual photograph of the crew handling a paravane.
 

This is a photo Kevin Denlay took, showing the tail fins of a paravane, on one of his dives on the wreck. He stated that tihs one was on the sea floor amidships.
 

Overhead shot of the model howing all 10 guns cemented to "Java."
 

Another overhead shot.

The two parts for the propeller guards being cemented together.

The completed propeller guards ready for dressing. This job was like shoving two wet noodles together.
 
Cheers,
 

Thank you Lawrence for visiting and your kind words. Also my thanks to all who clicked the like button,
 
This post is for days 54, 55 56 and 57, which brings us to March 12.
All these days involve mainly the installation of all the deck railings with some associated items.
Day 54 on March 6 I planned on cementing the stern deck railing but needed to think about it a little first. You see, the PE parts are made to fit between the aft main deck gun platform and the depth charge launching ramps at the fantail. Here then is my dilemma, None of my photos of "Java" show these ramps, nor the flagpole at the fantail. I already looked for a longer PE railing I can use to close the fantail. But then I thought, why not cement the railing meant for it and add a simulated cable type addition as I have seen on a few photos. These railings are foldable anyway so my thinking makes sense. 
I need to do some more thinking on it.
 
That brought my attention to the bow railing but before I can install any railing i needed to install the refueling rig on the main deck. It would otherwise make it too difficult to do. I needed to drill a small hole in the deck for the supplied brass rod where the PY support rigging is to be attached to. In reality this is quite a complicated rig but at this scale Boris did a real nice job simulating it. A shame that it kinda gets lost due it's small size.
 
Day 55 on March 9, I started to cement the forward railing. I started at the bow first with a small dab of cement and let it harden, then slowly bending the railing following the curve of the bow and tack cemented it as I went along to the end of that railing. Next I followed through with the thin CA along the bottom of the railing. I used the same method for all the railings, which proved to be working real fine for me. At least I had no damage to the railing. 
I also cemented the small flagpole against the forward side of the AA gun deck rangefinder house.
Now the flag. Boris supplied two small decals with the kit but can't use them as a flag - - - or can I?  So okay I tried and soaked the decal in some water and slid it off the paper, folded it around the flagpole and bingo I had the flag. Problem is that it's just too delicate and I can't make the flag wave in the breeze. So I gently brushed some thin CA on it, let it harden a little and then made a few folds in it. As long as nobody touches it it'll be fine.
 
Days 56 and 57 were occupied with cemented the rest of the railings to the ship. The # 9 gun deck was a little difficult due to the ladders going up. I had to improvise with some spare longer pieces because of the gaps for the ladders but in the end it worked out just fine. Next was painting them following the camouflage scheme on the hull.
I'm rather pleased with the railings. Below are a few pics of the railing project. The next installment will show more on how they look.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,
 

Thank you Denis and Nils for your visit and comments. Also to those who clicked the like button, thanks.
 
Yes Nils, this scale has been a challenge, mainly due to the very delicate PE. I'm not afraid working at a small scale but this PE stuff is difficult.
 
Here is another photo of "Java" taken from the Australian cruiser "Hobart." This was most likely in Lampung Bay on February 14, 1942, one day before the action in the Gaspar Straits. (From the collection of J.A.Dorlas).

Cheers,

My thanks of course to those who clicked the like button.
 
This post is for Day 53, which takes us to March 5, 2018.
 
No actual work was done on the ship this day. I needed to think about how to place the 15 cm guns. In order to know how both the Japanese flotillas and the ABDA fleet were situated in the afternoon of February 27 I reread the documentation by Jeffrey Cox in his excellent book "Rising Sun, Falling Skies . . ." and found on pages 288 through 291 with the course map of all flotillas on page 289. There seem to have been only a few opportunities for the ABDA strike force to have come into range for Admiral Doorman's 6 inch guns, as Jeffrey Cox states.  Okay then, that will be the moment of my diorama display, a westerly course. This means that "Java" was firing from her starboard side.
There were actually three Japanese flotillas, each consisting of heavy cruisers with their destroyer escorts. The two Japanese cruisers of interest are the heavy cruisers Haguro and her sister ship Nachi. It was the Nachi who fired the fatal torpedo that struck Hr. Ms. Java that night.
 
So then, I hope to be able to create realistic enough gun smoke effects from "Java's" starboard side and two splashes Japanese shells nearby. Well, at least that's the plan I have in mind.
 
The photos I'll attach below are the temporary placement of the completed 15 cm guns on the port side. The model just happen to sit that way on the table. I decided to hold off on cementing the guns to the deck until I ave installed all the railings and propeller guards. There is still some handling of the model till I can place her in the diorama sea. 
 

All ten of the completed 15 cm guns in a row, ready to be dressed, cleaned and painted.
 

Another view of the guns.
 

Closeup of a 15 cm gun on my left index finger, still in need of dressing, cleaning and paint.
 

seven of the 10 15 cm guns temporarily placed on the ship's port side.
 

Another view.
 

A closeup of port side.
 

One of Kevin Denlay's photos showing live shells with cordite
 

A frontal view of one of the 15 cm guns.
 
Cheers,
 

Thank you Mark, I appreciate your comment more then you may realize. My hurt and anger is a thing of the past and so is my hatred for the Japanese. I do treasure the memories I have from the good times I have with my father. Besides, I carry a part of him within my body and mind through the genes he shared at my conception.
 
Wow Ken, scale 1:700?  Even with the delicate PE for scale 1:350 giving me some problems I can imagine how difficult this tiny scale would be. To me - it's the detail that counts and at 1:700 some or most will not be feasible.  After I completed the model of my father's submarine, the O19, my wife asked me if I was going to build the 1:50 scale "Java." Well, at that time i was not too keen in doing so for several reasons. This small model is good enough for me, it has really good detail on it and is a visible reminder. No - - - I would rather build the model of Gwen's father's ship he made captain on. Yeah, it's on my bucket list and perhaps I can start on it and work on it together with the VOC ship that's in progress. Who knows.
 
Cheers,

Hello everyone and my thanks to Ken, Lou, Marcus and Ken Canute for visiting and also my thanks to those who clicked the like button.
 
@ John, yes indeed Hobart was a lucky ship. I read her history as well as the other ships involved.  This led me to the Australian War Memorial to see if they have a few photos of Java in high resolution. There is one I plan to purchase because at the time it was taken my father was on board and may be visible on deck. One never knows, but at least I know he was there. I plan to frame it and hang it in my studio/office.
 
Yeah Ken Backer, most of the ships that were involved in that part of the world battling the Japanese onslaught in the Far East are not well known. The battles too are not well known. That's why it's called "the forgotten war."  Of all the people in the world here is a fellow in St. Petersburg, Russia, who took a great interest in the battles for British Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies. He set out to produce and market 1:350 scale models of all the ships involved. He is dedicating his efforts to all the men who fought in those battles.
 
Thanks Lou for following.  I have done the same thing when building the O19. The things I can remember about my father's exploits during his service for Queen and Country makes the build very personal. It jars my memory banks too, which is good exercise for my poor 84 year old grey matter. 
 
Hey Marcus, thank you. Yes, it's "pieter-peuterig werk"
 
And to Ken, instead of the usual response to "thank you" as "you're welcome" I'll say it as the Dutch do "graag gedaan" that translates as "delighted to do so."
 
Right now I am in a dilemma. I have a photo taken by Kevin Denlay of the #10 gun but he asked me not to show it to anyone other then my direct family.  I would very much like to show it because that was as close to my father's battle station I can get on the wreck. This gun is a real mess and at the forward end of the separated stern section.  The plan is to make a rough painted sketch of the photo. Reason Kevin doesn't want it to be made public is the quality of the picture. I respect him for that, even though the wreck has been removed from the sea floor.  So give me some time to make the sketch and show you all. 
Oh yeah, Kevin Denlay is the first diver who went down to the wreck when it was found and he and I have had quite a few discussions about it.
 
The next post will be coming shortly. I have been much too busy with other things. The interesting parts are yet to come.
 
Cheers,